Flat Branch Pub & Brewery

Moon2Goddess

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

This place is hopping, even on a day with tropical storm type of humidity! Due to nearly every spot being taken, my date and I ended up sharing a chair at the bar, which I did not complain about! The patio seating has beautiful plants and vines creating a private getaway, inside has that classic brewery warehouse look, with just a little more shine and newness.

The staff clearly enjoy working here and their attitude rubs off on the customers, the general vibe is cheerful and lively. It is obvious that the bartenders and servers are proud of their exceptional quality and specialty items.

We shared several samplers, the Oil Change Oatmeal Stout and the Green Chili Beer especially stood out to me. I was wary of the Green Chili variety at first, but it was quite remarkable and unusual. Their Brown Ale was sweet and delicious...hell, everything we tried was good!

The food was fantastic! The green chili chicken fingers made from the green chili beer batter will forever be praised and lauded as one of this earth's greatest culinary creations.

I want to go back!

09-05-2011 17:34:58 | More by Moon2Goddess

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Stopped over this place on the way to St. Louis from KC.

I had been here once before and thought it was a gem. Sat outside on a wonderful cool and breezy Fall Sunday. The place was crowded and busy but still everything flowed perfectly.

The patio area is nice and cozy with tons of vegetation covering the are and giving it a private feel.

I tried their IPA and got a growler of their APA. Their IPA is nice and citrusy with some fresh grassy hops to it. This place has a great feel, great service, great food and the beers are well crafted.

09-04-2011 20:56:53 | More by JoEBoBpr

Northsider

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

I guess you couldn't ask for much more in a small town like Columbia. But coming from Chicago this place severely lacked. It was really crowded when I went, and it was on a wednesday evening at like 6pm. Strange. I hung out at the bar while I waited and tried the chilli beer. Not my cup of tea whatsoever. Selection wasn't too bad, I've seen much much worse. All the tap beers are listed on a chalkboard near the bar. I also tried the Irish Red. Not bad.

Food was very 'meh' for me. Not only am I becoming a beer snob, I've long been a food snob. This place was a basic college joint: burgers, wings, etc. None of the options were exceptional. But considering the location, this was pretty good.

Not a bad experience away from home, but it just felt way to 'collegey' for me. But for a small town like this, it's a good option. Check it out if in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trek.

07-07-2011 01:10:18 | More by Northsider

given2flybrewing

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Flat Branch is sort of a staple for anyone that lives in Columbia or in the surrounding areas. The restaurant is ALWAYS packed even though it has a large indoor and outdoor space (probably the nicest patio in town), which suggests that they do very good business! We go to Flatbranch every couple of months (even with a 1 year old). The food is average, but what I like about it is that they don't charge you an arm and a leg and you get large portions. The beer is average at best, some selections are better than others, but nothing that a beer geek would be overwhelmed by. I typically order the Green Chili Beer when I 'm, but it's not a great beer...just one I've enjoyed time to time. Their Oil Change stout won a silver medal this past year at GABF.

05-05-2011 00:50:44 | More by given2flybrewing

bunny3

Missouri

3.68/5  rDev -9.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Have been to Flat Branch several times since coming to Columbia. The food has been up and down but is generally average bar food with a few stand outs here and there. This place stays packed for lunch and dinner, so plan ahead if you are going, especially if there are any major functions going on in town. They do several house beers and have a wide variety on tap. Most beers are average to not so good, but I am not a huge fan of english yeasts and they tend to use the same english yeast strain in all their beers. As such, their better beers tend to be english styles.

05-04-2011 18:41:27 | More by bunny3

hopstradamus

Kansas

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

I stopped in for a late lunch on a Friday during a trip from Kansas City to St. Louis. The atmosphere is great. They have a dining area that is separate from the bar and would be great for a business lunch, as well as a large open bar. My visit was during the summer when school was not in session, but I can only imagine that this is the place to go on a football Saturday to watch the game on one of their large flat screen TVs. The place itself is a well renovated old warehouse that overlooks a park. It also features a spacious beer garden that I'm sure is a local favorite during the summer.

As far as the beer is concerned, I had the $6 sampler and bought a growler of the Rye Porter to take with me. I found all of the beers to be average. There was nothing offensive or spectacular about any of them really, with the exception of the Rye Porter which was delicious.

I had great service, but the place wasn't very busy. The staff was courteous and helpful, but did not seem to know an awful lot about their beers, just the talking points they had been given.

The selection was great compared to my expectations. They had all their regular beers and several seasonals, about 10 total. They had everything you would expect; a wheat, a pale, an IPA, a brown, and a stout as well as an unexpected Chili beer, and as I mentioned earlier several seasonals to keep things interesting.

As far as the food is concerned, I may not be the best judge. I was there for a late lunch and had been planning on eating at a brewery all day so my heart was set on a bacon cheeseburger and fries. It was delicious, and exactly what I wanted.

The prices were on par with my expectations as well. Being in Columbia, they can't charge as much as they could if they were in a bigger city. The prices were reasonable, and in line with what they provided.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Flat Branch Pub and Brewery very much, and would recommend it to anyone traveling from Kansas City to St. Louis as a great way to break up what is otherwise a rather boring stretch of road.

06-21-2010 14:02:50 | More by hopstradamus

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I was in town for business at University of Missouri and had an open afternoon which I killed at Flat Branch and Broadway.

I visited from 12 - 2 on a surprisingly busy Tuesday. The environmnet is an old building near a park on the edge of downtown Columbia. Very nice old rehabed building with a historic cycling theme where I sat in the bar. Four, large flat screen tv's strategically placed in the bar and a large chalk board with a beer listing.

Service consisted of what appeared to be kids from the local school(s) and the place is very well managed.

I began with a $6 sampler of the chili beer, dopplebock, rye porter, hefe, English ale, and a honey wheat. The hefe and rye were both very nice. The others were average. I followed that with an imperial pint of Ed's IPA. If you're a hop head, this place will be a let down. The IPA was malty and sweet with very little bitterness or aroma. I ended with a ~3 oz sample of the oil change stout which was very good. I did not have the brown, Katy Trail pale (which I probably should have), ESB, or Irish.

I had a spinich, feta, sun dried pizza which was excellent.

Compared to Broadway, Flat Branch is a "better run" establishment with a nicer, more professional atmosphere. I can't say the beers were anything better than average though and at the end of the day, that's what counts for me.

05-27-2010 01:31:25 | More by Yetiman420

greenfeet

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I was here in April, but I have to add a review. Traveling across from St. Louis to Kansas City, I am very glad we stopped here. Mid-day the patio seating was very full with happy looking patrons. Inside was open and uncrowded, pleasant decor with attentive, knowledgable service. I was quite impressed with the number of varieties available. Some were closes cousins, but still distinguishingly different in taste. On reflection months later, I still have good feeling and would go out of my way to visit again.

12-09-2009 16:15:13 | More by greenfeet

glid02

Georgia

4/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Made it by here on a trip to Columbia.

Atmosphere is good. Walking past the place I see a pretty large beer garden out front and a spacious inside. Brewing equipment is located in an open location. The bar is pretty large with a decent amount of seating.

Quality is good. All beers were poured with the proper amount of head and at the correct temperature. Additionally, the growler fills were solid, although I must warn you that electric tape is not provided and is not a bad idea.

Service is good. The bartender was attentive and knew everything that was on-tap without having to look over his shoulder.

Selection is solid. I remember between 10-12 beers on tap with a few on nitro-tap. The styles ranged from a Jalapeno beer to an Irish Red to a solid Stout.

Food was good. I can't remember what I ordered but it was slightly above average.

Value is good. Everything in Columbia seems a bit cheaper than it should be and this is no exception.

Overall this place has a good number of their beers on tap at any time and is certainly worth a stop.

09-03-2009 03:02:45 | More by glid02

qcbeerguy

Iowa

4/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Went there last night and had overall a very good evening. They had 13 beers on tap and beer engines. The beer for the most part was very good. My favorites were the stout, brown ale, tripel, esb, American Pale Ale, New Zealand Pilsner. Had a couple that had some unwanted buttery taste the Ed's IPA and the strong ale. I mentioned to the manager that I tasted butter on a couple beers and before I could same them he stated the Ed's IPA and Katy's pale ale. He then said they are beer at a sister brewery and have some quality issues with the brewer. They serve the sampler in a flight of 6 about 7 oz glasses for $6, so I feel it is worth the money.

The service at first was very good I was waited on right away when I set down at the bar. Then it went down hill from there, I waited about 15 mins. before another bartender asked me if I wanted anything to eat, since my original bartender disappeared. Then after that the second bartender disappeared and the manager was behind the bar. Not a good to treat a customer.

Hopefully the lack of customer service is a fluke.

03-17-2009 23:46:40 | More by qcbeerguy